I've taken a number of martial arts that were supposedly good and complete martial arts. If I got beat in some engagement, I usually figured it was because I didn't know the martial art that well, I wasn't in good enough strength-shape, etc.,.... I never had the idea that the martial art I spent so much time choosing was lacking in something that I could only get somewhere else. Weird to see so many people suggesting other arts for self-defense. How about "get stronger and learn more Aikido"?

Mike

Mike,
I thought then whole world was going crazy! Thanks for that drink of water in the Aiki desert! I bring this issue up on every thread that talks like this but I decided to drop it this time but it was still driving me crazy. It's odd to see so many people just responding "normally" to this idea. It's an acknowledgment that there is no complete martial art anywhere if good self defense is everything out there combined!
There are so many problems with that idea, that it makes my head spin!
1) Who would have time to learn so many arts? One is hard enough.
2) Who says you would be any good at arts # 2, 3, and 4? I know a guy that has been doing BJJ for years and the other guys just sit on him and yawn while he struggles to get away. I took him down and sat on him myself and I have never done BJJ.
3) What if you learned 7 martial arts and the other guy pulled a gun from 10 feet away.
4) What insecurity drives a person to need self defense so badly, that you have to learn 3 or 4 martial arts?
5) How many people that comment on a thread like this have done Aikido long enough to start to understand it. I have been studying it for 11 years and I am just starting to barely understand what my teacher explains to me and shows me.
6) How many people commenting on a this thread don't actually practice Aikido (You know who you are) or only practiced it at a kyu level?
7) Does the philosophy of all these arts make a difference to anyone out there or are we just looking for raw or brute techniques? (By that I mean form with no meaning).
8) Can the people that believe in the mixed martial art to get a better martial art theory really explain the philosophy of Aikido or has that thought never crossed our minds? This is a most important point because if Aikido has poor groundwork or no punching like karate or lacks anything at all, why would a martial artist like Morihei Ueshiba create something like that? Was he ignorant? Did he lack Ideas? Didn't he realize what a good punch in the nose could do?

Friends, I apologize in advance. I just had to get that out. My blood pressure has dropped 50 points and I feel better now. Please return to the topic at hand and ignore my rants.
By the way, I personally suggest Wing Chun, BJJ, a knife and a 38.
Best wishes,